Review: Beyond Deconstruction

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Cover image of "Beyond Deconstruction" by James F. McGrath

Beyond Deconstruction

Beyond Deconstruction, James F. McGrath. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (ISBN: 9780802884596) 2026

Summary: What may come after the deconstruction of faith: an expanded faith that works, explores, experiences, and connects.

When we hear of people who have “deconstructed” their faith, what assumptions do we make about the trajectory of their lives? Do we assume this means they have walked away from God? Or from any form of Christian faith? And what comes after deconstruction? It is this last question that biblical scholar James F. McGrath addresses in Beyond Deconstruction. As he does so, he also addresses the other two questions. He proposes that for many, one may transition into a far more expansive faith, one that for many is still Christian but not the one they’ve deconstructed.

McGrath writes from his personal experience of coming to faith in a fundamentalist, Pentecostal context and struggling to continue to believe its teaching about the Bible, creation, the end times and other doctrinal constructions of his faith. He was fortunate to have professors and other influences who were open to his questions who helped him sort out what was not working while identifying what was worth keeping. As a professor at a secular university, that is what he seeks to do in this short and helpful book. After narrating something of his own journey, he helps the reader imagine a faith beyond the one deconstructed.

It is a faith that works. Instead of focusing on maintaining and defending creedal statements, he suggests focusing on the life to which the Bible calls us to: seeking justice, care for the poor, sick, and needy, and everyday kindness. Likewise, he challenges distorted teaching about sexuality and marriage that denies the goodness of our bodily existence and has led to scandalous abuses. He notes how often Jesus connects believing with doing, with how we act upon what we believe.

It is a faith that explores. McGrath thinks we often have made an idol of certainty. He invites us to welcome science rather than oppose it to the Bible. And he challenges the making of the Bible a kind of “paper pope,” which he believes a consequence of the insistence upon inerrancy. And it is here I have questions about what the author writes or seems to infer. While I believe there is a conversation to be had about inerrancy as a symptom of our quest for certainty, I wonder what the author thinks about the idea of divine inspiration. He only emphasizes the human character of these texts and their limitations. This may be a rhetorical strategy for his intended audience. But is there any sense of scripture as a divinely given revelation through limited humans? Or do we simply study it as the founding documents of our “tribe”?

It is a faith that experiences. McGrath here threads a path between skepticism of experience and an uncritical embrace of experience. He notes that experience is a universal part of religious experience. He discusses the experience of suffering in Job and other texts. McGrath invites us to engage in “conversation,” even if we are can’t label it prayer. Likewise, attending to music and noticing beauty and keeping a journal are commended.

It is a faith that connects. Although deconstruction may result in leaving the church and other expressions of “organized religion”, we are still made for community. He encourages the reader to find like-minded others with which to process, either in existing communities or ones we create. This is “church” in its most original form.

In sum, I found a number of things to appreciate in this work, beginning with the thoughtful encouragement that there is something rich beyond deconstruction. Then there is the idea that faith is what we do because we believe Jesus. If we love him, we do what he commands. Likewise, his ideas under exploring, experiencing, and connecting point toward a rich reconstructed faith. While I would have liked to see a richer proposal of how scripture might be both divinely inspired and a true human product rather than just a takedown of “inerrancy,” his writing on this points to deeply flawed teaching in many evangelical churches, enabling an idolatrous quest for certainty. His vision of a more expansive faith on the other side of deconstruction combined with his sympathetic approach makes this a good resource for the deconstructing.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.

The Weekly Wrap: September 13-19

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The Weekly Wrap: September 13-19

Consenting to Read

“Say ‘Yes’ to reading!” Sounds like the slogan for a literacy campaign. But do you realize that every time you pick up a book, you are saying “yes”? You are saying “yes” to another voice speaking into your thoughts. It means opening your mind to the world they have built in a story or the argument they are making. Your “yes” doesn’t mean “I agree.” But it does mean that you have decided to listen, to pay more or less attention to what they are saying.

That’s an insight I came across in Marilyn McIntyre’s Starting with a Word, a book on writing. She is a wise writer who cares about words. For McIntyre, the work of writing and the joy of reading begins with words. She reminds me of how different reading is from watching a video. Books call upon me to actively engage with the words, to think about what is written, and to discern the intent of the writer. Books also invite me to turn on the screen of my imagination and visualize the story in my mind. We say “yes” to all these things when we read.

We also consent to give an author our time. For a long book, that can be fifteen hours or more of your life. Our “yes” means no, for at least the present, to another book. And we can decide to withdraw our consent if the book isn’t worth the precious hours of our lives. I’ve also given up on series. After the first, very long book, I gave up on The Wheel of Time. Too many very long books, and I wasn’t crazy about this world.

To what books will you say “yes” this week? Our “yes” is actually a precious gift both to ourselves and to those who write books. It is, in the words of poet Mary Oliver one of the things you will “do with your one wild and precious life.”

Five Articles Worth Reading

Dónal Gill believes Jonathan Swift anticipated the dangers of AI, particular the sacrifice of human intellect to our machines. In “Jonathan Swift v. AI” he argues for our moral responsibility of self-cultivation.

In Live Laugh Love, Kristin Kobes Du Mez turns her attention to Christian women after taking on masculinity in Jesus and John Wayne. Caroline Fraser considers her argument that women have embraced materialism as a sign of divine favor in “Like My Jesus Sweatshirt? How Christianity Went Consumerist.”

Cormac McCarthy was a struggling author when he turned 40 in 1973. He took his truck, set out on a cross-country journey. Finally, he settle in El Paso and began work on Blood Meridian. Michael O’Donnell explores this turning point in “Cormac McCarthy’s Midlife Crisis.”

When I read “Laurie Anderson’s next manuscript to be locked away for 88 years in Future Library,” I discovered that since 2014, authors have contributed a work, revealing nothing more than the title, to be opened in 2114. “Future Library opens secret archive of unseen texts in Oslo” describes the project and some of the other authors who have contributed works.

Lastly, haven’t you wished to say more with fewer words? That’s what minimalist fiction strives for. JSTOR posted “Minimalist Fiction in Six Short Stories” with stories by Raymond Carver, Amy Hempel, Frederick Barthelme, Jayne Anne Phillips, Mary Robison, and Ann Beattie.

Quote of the Week

Queen of Crime Agatha Christie was born on September 15, 1890. She made this wise observation about money:

“Where large sums of money are concerned, it is advisable to trust nobody.“

Miscellaneous Musings

“On the whole, I do not find Christians, outside of the catacombs, sufficiently sensible of conditions. Does anyone have the foggiest idea what sort of power we so blithely invoke? Or, as I suspect, does no one believe a word of it? The churches are children playing on the floor with their chemistry sets, mixing up a batch of TNT to kill a Sunday morning. It is madness to wear ladies’ straw hats and velvet hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life preservers and signal flares; they should lash us to our pews. For the sleeping god may wake someday and take offense, or the waking god may draw us out to where we can never return. ” I haven’t read much of any Dillard, never finishing Pilgrim at Tinkers’ Creek. But I’ve used this quote in several talks. We lost her this week, when she joined another recently passed pilgrim, Wendell Berry.

I’ve always enjoyed Barack Obama’s reading lists and have been baffled by readers who pan these simply because of his political associations. He’s doing it again with a six part podcast series, “A Great Book.” In “Tom Hanks, Ta-Nehisi Coates and More Join Barack Obama’s ‘A Great Book’ Podcast at Audible” you can read about the books he will be discussing and the guests who will be joining them. A great lineup all around.

I’ve always wished I could be paid for reading. The closest I’ve gotten is some free books for review. So I thought it was interesting to learn that “Singapore pays people to pick up a book in battle against doomscrolling.” But readers need to put in 50 sessions of at least 15 minutes to earn S$1 (one Singaporean dollar, currently 78 U.S. cents). Somehow, that doesn’t seem much of an incentive.

Next Week’s Reviews

Monday: James F. McGrath, Beyond Deconstruction

Tuesday: William Kent Krueger, Lightning Strike

Wednesday: Patricia Allen, The Strain of Other Blood

Thursday: Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

Friday: Douglas Groothuis and Lindsey Medenwaldt, What if Jesus is Right?

So, that’s The Weekly Wrap for September 13-19.

Find past editions of The Weekly Wrap under The Weekly Wrap heading on this page.

Review: Eric

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Cover image of "Eric" by Terry Pratchett

Eric

Eric (Discworld, 9) Terry Pratchett. HarperCollins (ISBN: 9780063375017) 2024, first published in 1990.

Summary: A thirteen year-old demonologist tries to summon a demon to grant him three wishes. Instead, he gets Rincewind and the Luggage.

Have you ever heard the warning to be careful what you wish for? That’s what Eric, the thirteen year-old demonologist learns when he tries to summon a demon to grant him three wishes. Instead of a demon, he summons Rincewind the wizard, who last we heard of was trapped in the Dungeon Dimensions. And along with Rincewind, of course, comes the Luggage, who will get them out of more than a few scrapes.

So, what does Eric wish for? Pretty much what you’d guess for a young male his age: to rule the world, to meet the most beautiful woman in all history, and to live forever. Now, Rincewind tries to convince him of his lack of wizardly wish-granting, but Eric will have none of it. So, Rincewind snaps his fingers, and they find themselves in Klatch in the Tezumen Empire. The young god convinces them he is their world-ruler, little knowing what they do to world-rulers. Next thing they know, they are on top of a pyramid, being prepared for sacrifice! I’ll leave it to you to discover how they get out of this one and move on to the next wish.

Another snap of the fingers finds them inside a wooden horse, a gift to the Tsorteans. They are taken to Elenor (a parody of Helen) only to find the most beautiful woman plump and mother of a brood. After all, she’d been in the city a long time! Rincewind talks to Lavaeolus (whose name means “Rinser of Winds”, a distant ancestor of Rincewind), who asks him about his journey home. All he tells him is that he will make it home.

Then they are off to the third wish. They find themselves at the beginning of creation. It turns out that if you are to live forever, that means from the very beginning. The only way out is for Eric to reverse the summoning, which lands them in Hell! However, it turns out that Pratchett’s Hell is the ultimate bureaucracy where the greatest torture is boredom. They find themselves caught in a rivalry between the demon king, Astfgl, and his rival, Lord Vassenego. All I’ll say about their escape is it’s not because of the Luggage!

Pratchett has great fun parodying a variety of mythologies and tales from Odyssey to Inferno. However, I’m not sure Eric has learned his lesson. Maybe all he learns is be sure of who you summon. But then again, he escapes the fate of Faust.

Review: Doing Something New

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Cover image of "Doing Something New" by Mitali Perkins, illustrated by Andres Landazabal

Doing Something New

Doing Something New, Mitali Perkins, illustrated by Andrés Landazábal. IVP Kids (ISBN: 9781514013328) 2026.

Summary: A prayer for children beginning something new, drawing upon the life of Jesus and the promises of the Beatitudes.

Change is exciting. And scary. Beginnings are a part of all of our lives but can be especially scary for children who do not have lots of past experiences on which to draw. A new home. A new school. And a new bus route. New friends. And new social situations.

Mitali Perkins has written a wonderful children’s book that explores a number of these changes. First days at school. Missing family. Making friends. Going out of one’s way to show kindness. Then there are the challenging social situations. Standing up for the bullied. Comforting friends losing someone they love. Not yielding to peer pressure to look at questionable material on a phone. Or helping two friends caught in the blame game.

All of these beginnings are woven into a prayer that runs through the book. The prayer connects the child’s experience to something Jesus experienced in his life. For example, the book begins with this:

“Jesus, now I come to you,/at the start of something new.

People didn’t know your name./Here I am, a bit the same.“

The simple rhyme scheme makes it enjoyable to hear and memorable.

In addition, the book incorporates the text of the Beatitudes. These offer promises of how Jesus will help in each of the situations depicted. For example, the child who is homesick may trust the promise: “God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Likewise, the child who stands up for another who is bullied is reminded that “God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.”

Also, the illustrations of Andrés Landazábal bring the prayer/narrative vividly to life. The scenes look like school and neighborhood settings. I particularly appreciate how he captures the emotions of children. In addition, he portrays a multi-ethnic mix of children on each page.

The book concludes with “A Note from the Author” in which Mitali Perkins describes her various homes in five countries before living in the United States. She also discusses growing up in a Bengali home. Lastly, she lists some of the influences that inspired this book and what she has tried to do.

I like the portrayal of all the situations in which a child can trust Jesus in their Monday to Friday world at school. In addition, I appreciated how children are helped to see why Jesus would understand their fears and their prayers. Then the weaving in of the Beatitudes does not at all seem forced but flows naturally out of the various situations children encounter. Finally, as in all good children’s books, the truths found here are both simple enough for a child to understand and profound enough to sustain adults in all the changes they face.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.

Review: How to Be a Christian Influencer

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Cover image of "How to Be a Christian Influencer" by Jacqulyne Horbrook

How to Be a Christian Influencer

How to Be a Christian Influencer, Jacqulyne Horbrook. InterVarsity Press (ISBN: 9781514009925) 2026.

Summary: Social media for Christians beginning with mission and authenticity and finishes with strategic excellence.

Jacqulyne Horbrook grew up with a Christian influencer. Her father engaged in street ministry in the city of Chicago, preaching on a bullhorn, handing out tracts, and leading people to faith. She also discovered a calling as Christian influencer, only not on street corners with a bullhorn. It began with a social media page to reach students at the university where she worked. Before she knew it, she was “Jackie the Educator” and eventually the host of a YouTube show titled Higher Learning reaching a global audience. As she wrestled with the challenge of defining and reaching an audience, she realized she wasn’t the only one. This led to creating Black Christian Influencers, an effort to empower others in impactful ministry.

Horbrook not only realized social media is a powerful tool that may be used well or misused. She also realized that she was an influencer who could use these platforms to make disciples of Jesus. In fact, one of the things I appreciated about this book was its clarity about defining Christian influence: to publicly share one’s belief in Jesus Christ, to live a godly life so that your character and content align, and to never lose sight of the Great Commission.

She then walks through a number of practicalities of Christian social media influence. One is to be clear about one’s message and mission. Then comes marketing excellence. This involves finding one’s target audience, focusing on expertise, strategizing for results by creating online spaces you control, and creating content that connects. She offers ample how-tos for each step. She shares lessons she has learned about impactful storytelling, especially the importance of vulnerability. In fact, vulnerability is the first of her four components of influence, complemented by transparency, originality, and relatability.

Then she follows this with a number of tips about growing one’s platform. She begins with a warning. Don’t sacrifice integrity for numerical growth. However, you do want to make your content so good people share it. You need to know your niche and start there. Use bold statements, visuals, and compelling questions to be seen. Then pay attention to what people are sharing and engaging (and what they are not). At this point she hits “pause” and invites the reader to work through a Platform Growth Checklist and a Content Planning Worksheet–hugely valuable exercises.

The final three chapters center on larger issues for maintaining integrity and authenticity. She offers a chapter chock-full of advice on navigating social media. She addresses everything from the characteristics of different platforms, to dealing with negative comments, safeguarding one’s privacy, and protecting one’s mental health. And she emphasizes fact-checking oneself. Horbrook discusses making disciples and the vital importance of community versus isolation. Finally, she addresses stewarding influence well. She re-emphasizes themes she has touched on: depth over breadth, boundaries, to not define one’s worth by engagement, and have a community of accountability.

As a fellow Christian who uses social media to influence, I found so much with which I resonated. I especially appreciate her discussion of the alignment of content and character. I consciously strive for people to perceive the character of Christ in what I post, how I engage, and the “vibe” I create in curating my platforms. Horbrook pushes me in thinking about engagement with and shareability of content. Most of all, she models accepting and stewarding the influence one has for God’s, rather than personal glory. This is a book for any Christian working in social media spaces!

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.

Review: Introducing Communio Theology

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Cover image of "Introducing Communio Theology" by Tracey Rowland

Introducing Communio Theology

Introducing Communio Theology, Tracey Rowland. Word on Fire Academic (ISBN: 9781685781637) 2025.

Summary: An exploration of the Communio theological movement that arose following Vatican II and its relevance.

“Communio Theology.” What is that? This was my question when I saw the title of this book. I came to learn that this is a theological movement within Catholicism following Vatican II, beginning in the early 1970’s. The theologians in this movement seek to engage the currents of change following the Council while affirming traditional theological convictions. The movement is international in character. Communio: International Catholic Review was created as a journal for articles from the community of theologians identifying with this movement. It is published in several different language editions.

In this Introduction, Tracey Rowland provides this history and introduces us to three key figures in the Communio movement: Hans Urs Von Balthasar, Henri de Lubac, and Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI). As mentioned, this group formed in response to Vatican II. In particular, Rowland shows, the resulting documents contained many ambiguities as well as reflecting different strains of Catholicism. She offers an account for how they responded, framing theological proposals that didn’t break with the past and yet built on discussions on matters of ecclesiology, revelation, anthropology, and more.

While the many theologians are each distinctive, Rowland identifies four hallmarks in their work. Firstly, was a Trinitarian Christocentric foundation. This shapes everything from convictions on sacerdotal priesthood to a metaphysics of gift with political and economic implications. Secondly, Communio theology is wary of dualisms and dichotomies that divorce grace and nature, theology and philosophy, Church and state. Thirdly, is a conviction that sociology is not theologically neutral and frequently at variance from a Christian anthropology. Fourthly is the embrace of the transcendentals of goodness, truth, and beauty. While different traditions emphasize one or the other, Communio weaves them together in harmony.

Within this framework, Rowland summarizes the contributions of Communio theologians, particularly the three key figures, on a range of subjects. These include tradition, reading scripture, moral theology, feminism, the sacerdotal nature of the priesthood, stewardship of creation, and secularism. The last is particularly fascinating in illustrating the non-dualism of Communio scholars. They trace the flaws of secularism to the divorce of faith and reason, grace and nature, and humanity from the Triune God. Tat non-dualism is also evident in their engagement with Thomism. While they are two different schools, Communio theologians don’t see themselves in opposition to Thomists.

As a reader outside of Catholicism, I was impressed with the vibrancy of theological engagement on questions we also care about–how we read scripture, how we understand the moral life, and how we care for the creation. At the same time, I found myself wondering at the book’s silence about theological discussions in the church since 2013, when Benedict resigned. How have more recent developments shaped the concerns of Communio theologians?

I would commend this “Introduction” to Catholics to give them an enriched appreciation of the rich intellectual resources within Catholicism. And for those who are not Catholics, the book is helpful in understanding matters like tradition and the priesthood and why we may differ. And much of what those from non-Catholic backgrounds will read is part of our “family history.” We may well recognize that we also have much in common and much to learn!

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.